Flow Sweetly, Hang Heavy
by Legit The Ninja
Summary: AU where Dean is drug dealer, and Cas is an introverted artist. With the aid of Gabriel, their paths cross in an unlikely way. Title credit to goddess-of-sloth. AKA Carly. AU. Rated MA for eventual smut. Parings: Destiel.
1. Chapter 1-Finding Inspiration

**A/N:** Hi guys! First chapter! I've been writing this for quite some time, I hope you like it! Tell me what you think

**Title:** Flow Sweetly, Hang Heavy

**Chapter Title: **Finding Inspiration

**Words:** 1,951

**Rating:** Overall; M Chapter; T for language

**Finding Inspiration**

Castiel.  
What words are there for Castiel?

He's an artist by nature, and a lover by heart.

He was practically raised by his brothers, and it was never easy. When he was eighteen he grabbed one of his older siblings, Gabriel, and left. Now he lives in the city, alone with his art, the way he always wanted it. He writes and paints, and makes music in his free time. He's had a few books published, under a pen name of course, and his art hangs in several notable galleries. It's enough to pay the bills and then some.

Not like he acts like it. He shops off the clearance rack at Target, and lives in a small, dusty apartment, with hardly any reason to leave the house. Gabriel visits every so often, but for the most part he's alone. Not lonely, but alone.

If he did have friends, he would be their favorite. Everything from his messy hair and clothes to his blue eyes and goofy smile makes him a character. He's charming and witty. And incredibly self-reliant. Too much so, Ruby, one of his frequent buyers, thinks. She said if he keeps it up, it'll make for dead art.

He doesn't care.

Or, didn't care, however, until now.

He's sitting on a stool in his makeshift studio, staring at a blank canvas. He's been staring at it for nearly two weeks, and it's been staring back, taunting him. Teasing him with its emptiness, a sign of his lack of inspiration, the very thing that he thrived and survived off of. His laptop has been tucked away all this time, because staring at a blank word file would just make him even more upset. It's not like he had anything to write about. He was a man sick. Art is what he sustained off of, and he could feel himself losing the grip on it. He needed inspiration. He just didn't know how to get it. However, what happens next would both inspire him and change his life.

* * *

There was a knock on the door.

Castiel skittered out of his studio, surprised at the abrupt banging noise that rang through his small apartment. It couldn't be his landlord, he was careful to always pay his rent before it was due. Door-to-door salesmen never came up to his floor, so it couldn't be that. He didn't have any new neighbors or anyone else really who could come rapping at his door, attempting to make casual conversation. The only person it could be was Gabriel, but he never came over unannounced, he always called. Unless it was an emergency.

Castiel quickly slid on the pants he had ditched a few hours before, and ran to the door. It was Gabriel. He looked frazzled. The collar on his shirt was uneven and his hair was a mess, not that he could give a fuck about that sort of thing anyway. He sighed heavily, and gave his younger brother a look of both relief, probably from his answering, and concern, most likely from what Cas was about to learn. "Cas, bro... I need your help." Gabriel spoke between deep huffs, and Castiel could tell he had just been running. He pulled his brother by the arm, and led him to a nearby sofa. They both sat down, and Cas gave Gabriel a moment to catch his breath, before he asked, "Gabriel, what's wrong?"

"I'm in trouble, Cas." Gabriel said, turning to his brother. He wore a look that Castiel had only seen once before, the night they ran away. He knew it meant that Gabriel was serious, and that he truly needed him.

He bit his lip nervously, and responded, "Anything, Gabe, anything for you."  
"I-" Gabriel started, but stopped and huffed once again, this time looking incredibly ashamed "I got in trouble with my dealer. We sort of have this pay at the end of the month system. I can't pay, and he knows it. He says if I can't pay by tomorrow he'll-"

Castiel grabbed his brother's wrists, and stopped him before he could continue. "Gabe, it's alright." he said, in the most calming tone he could muster. "I'll grab my jacket, and my wallet, and we'll take care of it. It's gonna be okay. Just be more careful with your spending next time."

Gabriel stood and hugged Cas, nearly knocking him over. "Thanks, bro. This means the world to me. I'll make it up to you, I swear." He pulled away from his brother, leaving his arms wrapped loosely around the slim and slumped shoulders.

"But, are you sure you're okay to go? I mean, you don't leave your house too much, and dealers can be kind of scary." Gabriel seemed concerned, and Castiel understood why. He had always been one to shut out the real word, hardly ever venturing out from the walls he called home. That's part of the reason he found art was it was both expressive and inclusive. His two favorite things.

He sighed sarcastically and rolled his eyes. "Well brother of mine," Castiel responded, "I guess I could bring it upon myself to leave my hermit hole for you." He smiled, and was pleased to see that he had pulled a matching grin from Gabriel. The dramatic show that Cas had put on filled Gabe with ease, something he needed desperately. Castiel then broke apart from his brother, and slipped away to his bedroom.

He returned with his usual beige trench coat hanging messily over his small frame. "Where exactly are we headed?" He asked, wide-eyed, looking up at his brother.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Castiel was in his Honda, with an unfamiliar address punched in to his GPS. A song was blasting on his stereo that was by an artist that he didn't know. However, Gabriel, who had snuggled himself tight in to the passenger seat, seemed to be rather enjoying it, judging by how he was singing every word.

"In 500 feet, turn left."

'_Gabriel should be doing this on his own.' _Cas thought, ignoring the song to listen to his GPS

"Turn left now"

_'I couldn't let him do that. He's my brother._'

"In .2 miles, turn right."

_'I just want to go home_'

He looked over to his brother, careful to keep a cautious eye on the road. Gabriel seemed to have set up a full air-drum in the passenger side of Castiel's car. His brother seemed happy and easy going. Gabe was always known to be a free spirit.

'_He'll learn one day. Until then, he's my brother. I'll help him._'

Cas had always been helpful that way. Extending a helpful arm where it wasn't always deserved. Gabriel had gotten himself in to this mess, over drugs nonetheless. He sighed, as he merged into the turn lane.

"This is it?" He asked, pulling into a long, well-kept driveway.  
" Yeah." Gabriel said, with a nervous expression crossing his face.

"It'll be okay." Castiel reassured his brother, his worried eyes paired with a weak smile. He honestly wasn't sure if it was going to be okay. He had never dealt with any sort of dealer before, and from the color Gabriel was turning, this probably wasn't a very easy-going guy. Or girl, maybe. Castiel hadn't bothered to ask anything about the person.

"Hey, I forgot to ask, who is this person, anyway?" He asked, turning towards his brother.

"Oh!" Gabriel replied. "Right! His name is Dean Winchester. He's a bit of an, um... Interesting character. Real swell guy. You'll love him."  
The sarcasm in Gabriel's tone made Castiel's already tense muscles lock up. He ignored it; however, he had to stay calm and collected for his brother. He strode uneasily to the door, following closely behind Gabe.

"Okay, I texted him awhile ago, so he knows we're coming. Just let me talk." Gabriel turned towards his brother, giving him a sincere stare.

"I thought you were the nervous one."

"Can it."

Gabriel and Castiel's relationship thrived off of playful teasing, such as that.

Gabriel knocked at the door, and soon the pair was in the living room of the house.

It was well-furnished, and fairly modern. Cas was surprised to see the man he supposed he would be dealing with. He was short, but bow-legged. He had dirty blonde hair, and a stern and agreeable face. However, it was his eyes that truly captured the young artist's attention. They were a soft green, and the light bounced off of them in such a way that Castiel found indescribable. Castiel's own eyes were often complimented, typically on how they changed from a deep midnight to a light sapphire. But there was something about Dean that Castiel found mesmerizing. His light colored Led Zeppelin shirt flowed easily against his body as he moved his elbows to his knees.

"So, you must be Cas. I've heard a lot about you."

His voice melted around Castiel. It felt like the words were touching him, and he liked it. It was warm, and inviting.

"Uh... Yeah. Hi." Castiel replied, after being nudged impatiently by his brother. He fumbled for his wallet, which had been tucked into the back pocket of his faded jeans. "How much does my brother owe you?" He asked whilst thumbing through his cash.

"Well," Dean chuckled, "It was two hundred. But Gabriel didn't tell me that he had a cute brother. So how about one fifty?"

Castiel smiled and blushed lightly at the compliment. "Yeah. That'll work." He pulled seven twenties and a ten out of his wallet, and offered it to the green-eyed man.

Dean smirked and accepted the cash, purposely brushing Castiel's fingers lightly. His smirked widened to a grin as the dark eyes of the other man widened at the touch, leaving his irises filled with a bright sapphire glint. It was amazing, really, to the both of them how such small interactions over such a small period of time could cause hearts to drop and pulses to rise.

"Well. This has been great, but I think Cas and I had best be on our way." Gabriel had noticed the serious eye-undressing that was going on, and was going to have no more of it. Plus, he didn't exactly want to hang out in the house of the drug dealer he had owed money to until only a few moments earlier. He grabbed his brother and pulled him back outdoors.

* * *

"Crush on the dealer, huh?" Gabriel proclaimed, breaking the thick silence that had been hanging in the car for the last ten minutes.

Castiel swallowed heavily before replying, "I- I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh come ON!" Gabriel groaned. "You were blushing the entire time. And he totally complimented you. That is so fetch." He did a surprisingly accurate impression of a bitchy teenage girl at the end of the statement.

"Did you just quote Mean Girls?" Castiel asked in near disbelief.

"Did you just recognize a Mean Girls quote?" Gabriel responded, indignantly.  
Castiel half-nodded. "Touché."

"Hot for drug boy." Gabriel muttered under his breath. "Not that I blame you. Dude is ripped."

"Is he?" Castiel asked, probably sounding more curious than he should.

"Oh that's cute. You only noticed his face. But yeah, he's built as hell." Gabriel responded.

Castiel only let out a small "Hm." In response, for he no longer cared for this conversation, not that it was particularly his favorite in this first place. He needed to get Gabriel home, so that he could get home. Somehow, when he was lost deep in Dean's eyes, he found the one thing he had truly been searching for. Somewhere in the beautiful orbs of green, he found inspiration.


	2. Chapter 2- Strangers

**A/N: **I guess my posting day is Monday? this one's so short! Don't kill me! I originally had it combined with the next chapter, but I thought it had too much going on. I was really overwhelmed by the response from the last chapter, and I hope I don't disappoint. All in all, I think this is a good chapter. Review maybe?

**Title: **Flow Sweetly, Hang Heavy

**Chapter Title: **Strangers

**Words: **794

**Rating: **Overall; M Chapter; T, language

**Strangers**

Castiel sighed in great triumph.

The canvas would taunt him no more.

It was no longer a blank space, a lack of art, a plane of nothingness. Now, it was a painting. Not any painting, however. A forest, laced with a seemingly infinite amount of shades of green that covered the trees, the grass, and the rocks. A mighty river ran through, and thick trees symbolized strength, unity, and harmony. This painting was, in essence, Dean Winchester.

Castiel had almost thought it silly; painting about a man he had only met once, and who more than likely hadn't even given him a second thought. But he was an artist, and he was inspired. It was against his nature to keep this rush of creativity to himself, and it would be bad for business.

He wiped a few beads of sweat off of his forehead, accidentally smearing dabs of emerald paint on his face in the process. Not that he cared, really. His entire body looked as if he had been rolling around on his wet painting.

"I need a shower." He said aloud, to no one in particular.

It was true. Although in the last few days he had made great advancement in his line of work, he seemed to have neglected all personal needs. He was tired, dirty, and above all, hungry. He thought for a moment, and pondered the contents of his kitchen. His choices seemed to be moldy bread, or expired milk. It was easy to memorize the contents of one's kitchen, when there was hardly anything in it. He'd have to go to Target that day, he decided. No real problem. Although he didn't typically do well in most social settings, Target was one of his favorite places, and he felt comfortable there. Nimbly, he pulled off the smock he had over his clothes, and hung it in the corner. He quickly have himself a shower, scrubbing paint off the best he could, carefully running his fingers through his oily tufts of thick, dark hair. He dressed himself in an oversized sweater and jeans, and slid on Sanuks. He was ready to depart, and just in time, too. He was famished.

* * *

Dean sighed in terribly defeat.

He was losing, to himself. He had only had two sales since the Novak brothers came to his doorstep, and his supplier was on his ass about it. Dean was only a puppet, really, in the grand scheme of things. He had a boss, just like everyone else. And his boss was a dick. His name was Crowley. Crowley was pissed that Dean wasn't reaching quota. Maybe he wouldn't be so upset, had he not found out that Dean had cut fifty dollars off of some guy's fee. He thought about maybe charging extra the next time that Gabriel came knocking, but he knew he couldn't do that. Not to Gabriel, at least. He was a loyal customer. Sometimes he could be a little slow on the money, but he was always loyal. Maybe he would up charge some other poor sap that was looking for a quick hit to get him by until tomorrow.

All of this wasn't Dean's fault, really, although he wouldn't dare try to explain that to Crowley. It wasn't his fault that no one was buying; maybe the local stoners didn't feel like getting baked. And it wasn't his fault about the money, either. Dean was caught off guard. When he said Castiel was cute, he wasn't nearly exaggerating. If anything, it was an understatement. The man that tip-toed quietly into his house, closely following his brother was beautiful. His near black hair poked in all different directions that looked highly like the hair of someone who just got fucked to the high heavens. But, from what Dean had heard from Gabriel in the past, this was not at all the case. According to Gabe, his younger brother was a dork. Just one more thing to captivate Dean. Everything from how he spoke to the way he held himself was dorky, and quirky. In all actuality, it was adorable. Oh, and his eyes. They were surreal. They way they changed with the light, but always managed to hold a flawless color and a beautiful glint of light. In was inhuman how perfect this guy was.

However, thoughts like this frightened Dean terribly. In his business, having crushes on clients was dangerous. Castiel wasn't even a client; he was the brother of a client. A brother of a client that Dean had met once, quite briefly, at that. There was no way Dean could have feelings for this guy already. Dean decided that it was time to get some well-deserved air. He needed to pick up a few groceries, anyway.


	3. Chapter 3- Take Me With You

**A/N: **Heh, heeeeey guys. Real funny story about this chapter. See, I had been up through chapter four for a few weeks now, and recently realized that I had been writing the wrong thing. I literally just wrote the absolute wrong freaking plot. So I essentially had four days to write this chapter. A very busy four days, I might add. But I finished it, because I love you all. Anyway, I hope you guys like this one. I like it, so maybe you will too.

**Title: **Flow Sweetly, Hang Heavy

**Chapter Title: **Take Me With You

**Words: **896

**Rating: **Overall; MA, This chapter; T

**Take Me With You**

Castiel would have to call Gabriel.

He knew he would.

How else was he supposed to see Dean again?

After cleaning himself up, stocking his shelves and getting a bite to eat Cas realized that he would have to see Dean again.

After all, he did just paint a picture about this guy.

Also, Castiel was concerned that his slight infatuation with the blonde haired Winchester may cloud his mind, and he hoped another visit with the man would dissipate all or any lack of clarity that may currently inhabit his already usually fogged up brain.

In other words, he needed to see his dealer. Pronto.

The phone rang twice before Gabriel answered it.

"Ever heard of texting?" Gabriel asked in place of a formal greeting.

"Yes, I am familiar." Castiel replied. "But if you will remember, I am not in current ownership of a mobile phone."

"Right. Dork" Gabriel snorted.

The line went silent for a moment.

"So what's up, bro?" Gabriel asked.

Castiel cleared his throat, and inquired "What are your plans for today?"

"You'll hate me if I tell you." Gabriel whispered.

Smiling, Castiel replied "I promise I won't."

"Well, it's been a few weeks since I, uh, stocked up. So I was going to go see Dean again."

"Take me with you."

"Huh?" Gabriel remarked in honest disbelief.

"I want to join you. I'm... Intrigued." Castiel held his breath as he waited for a response.

Gabriel paused.

"This is because you like Dean, isn't it!"

"You mustn't tease, Gabriel. It's impolite." Castiel mumbled. "Besides, I do not 'like' Dean. That's very

crude."

Gabe scoffed. "Pansy. Whatever. You can come, I guess. I'll pick you up in like an hour."  
"Thank you Gabriel."

"You're welcome, pussy."

Castiel could feel his muscles stiffen as they approached Dean's house.

He didn't actually know why he was going to see Dean, he had nothing to say.

But he knew he had to. Something was pulling him in, drawing him closer and closer to his older brothers dealer. If only he could figure out what to make of it.

Dean flung the door open quickly. He smiled, his green eyes glistening. Castiel's breath was taken away. Was it possible that Dean had gotten more attractive? His eyes even more captivating than their last encounter. The sun was shining off of his white button-down, and glinting in his hair and eyes. The feat made Dean look holy- angelic, almost.

"Gabriel!" Dean announced, beaming. "And Castiel?" It was obviously more of a question than a statement, so Cas nodded in response.

Dean half-nodded with a rather pleased expression. "Well okay, then. Come inside."  
The pair followed Dean this time in to his kitchen. Castiel slinked behind, but Gabriel quite near strutted.

"So, uh, Gabe, what exactly were you looking for this time around?"

Gabriel turned and glared at his younger brother.

"Cas," Gabriel started, still staring at the frail man. "Do you mind staying in the living room? We grownups have some business to handle."

Castiel scoffed and rolled his eyes sarcastically, but headed into the room he recognized as Dean's living room. He did his best not to touch anything, avoiding any trouble.

No more than twenty minutes later, Gabriel reappeared, with Dean following closely behind, smiling.  
"Gabe thanks for this man. I've been down on sales a lot recently. But are you sure you're okay to take all this back to your apartment?" Dean smiled through his words, and Gabriel nodded.

Castiel raised his eyebrow questioningly.

"Gabriel, what have you done?"

Dean only laughed.

"It's okay, Cas. He paid me already."

Castiel glared at Dean. "That's not my concern. My concern is that he'll get himself in to trouble."

Dean smiled sarcastically and looked at his feet. He walked past Gabriel and stopped, making him only inches apart from the shady-haired Castiel. He placed his right hand on the slim shoulder, broadening his smile. With a slight chuckle, he said, "Now Cas, shouldn't you have a little faith in your brother? I wouldn't let him leave if I thought he would get caught. Because after all, that could get me in trouble."

Castiel stood for a moment, his expression unreadable. Dean licked his lips in anticipation of his response, leaving his hand planted firmly on Cas' shoulder. Castiel's slightly chapped lips were tense, and his eyes were narrowed. Just as Dean was certain he had said something to piss Castiel off, he heard his thick, raspy voice break the silence. "Well Dean, I guess you're right."

Dean was relieved to hear Castiel's pleased tone, and mimicked the smile that was now spread across Cas' face. They stood for a moment like that, taking in each other's expressions, noting the details on each other's faces.

"Hey, guys. I hate to interrupt the stare fest, but um, I'm still here."

It was Gabriel.

Cas had completely forgotten about Gabriel.

Dean lowered his hand off of Castiel's shoulder, and gave one last beaming smile. Gabriel pulled at his younger brother's wrist, leading him out of the house.

Castiel sat himself in the driver's seat. He turned when he heard a small huff from the passenger side.  
"Yes, Gabriel." He asked.

Gabriel had his arms crossed, and was pouting like a little girl.

"Stop being so in love with my dealer." Gabriel demanded.

"I- I don't..." Castiel stammered.

"Shut up."

"Okay."


	4. Chapter 4- Determination

**A/N:** I've recovered from the mishap of last week. Fair warning, this chapter is long and took me hours to write, but I kind of like it so cool. Oh, and I assume you want smut soon. Not yet, my lovies just hold on to yourselves, it's coming.  
**Title:** Flow Sweetly, Hang Heavy  
**Chapter Title:** Determination  
**Rating:** Overall; M, This Chapter; T for language and suggested sexual themes  
**Words: **1,618  
**Determination**  
Dean sighed, pressing his thumbs against his temples, pushing them outwards towards the side parts of his hairline. He hung there, his breath protruding from his body noisily.

Forget that he had Crowley up his ass, still.

Forget that his little brother was in jail, still.

Forget that he hasn't talked to his parents in years, still.

Because now he had Castiel.

Castiel, that little fucker.

How else could Dean describe him?

The guy practically strolled into his life. He was, before now, a story, something Gabriel had mentioned a few times in conversation. But when he became real, he became more than that. He was extraordinary. His hair was messy and his smile was bright. Dean wanted nothing more than to just touch him.

To Dean that sounded incredibly gay. Not even the homosexual kind of gay.

But it was true. He had fucked men before, but that was just it. He fucked them. He had gotten his way with them; take care of his business, and left. But with Cas he felt an urge. One unparalleled to any he had had before. An urge to hold him, and feel his skin, but not in an erotic way. Something more emotionally intimate than that, something stronger. Something _other_ than pure lust.  
The lust was there, of course. Every second that Dean spent with Cas, he wanted to push him against a wall, thread his fingers through those thick tufts of hair, and let his tongue explore as he whispers clothes-dropping things into the shell of Cas' ear. He longed for the feeling of that body quaking underneath him, paired with the sinful moans he knew he could draw from the back of Cas' throat. He craved the sensation. However he had controlled himself nicely, for two good reasons. One, he was so unsure of his feelings. He knew he liked Cas, but he was so unsure of _how _he liked Cas. And frankly, the new desires were frightening. And second, he still want sure if Cas even liked him. With something like this, the last thing he wanted to do was to start assuming, and find himself guessing incorrectly

* * *

Castiel was sitting on the floor of his kitchen, typing away busily at his laptop when his phone rang. He picked the phone up and focused on the little green screen. In digitized letters it read, 'NOVAK, GABRIEL'. Cas sighed and clicked the 'Talk' button.

"Yes, Gabriel?"

"You're gonna love this."

"I am?" Castiel's voice raised in intrigue.

"Yes. After, um, recent events, I've decided to go clean. No more drugs for me."

"What events?"

There was a silence, so Castiel asked, "Is it a girl?"

He could hear Gabriel huff. "It might have something with a particular lady friend. But that's not of import. Listen, I got to go, but I just wanted to let you know so you can be super proud of me. Bye, now."

"Goodbye."

Castiel clicked off his phone.

He was proud alright, but that wasn't the first emotion that came to mind.

As terrible as it sounded, Cas needed Gabriel to keep buying hood, uh, recreational substances. That was his way of seeing Dean. He had by now developed a full-frontal crush on Dean, and was not ready to give that up. He could ask Gabriel for his number, but that would be a bit too obvious, and the last thing he wanted was his brother poking fun at him for it. Castiel sighed as he realized what he must do. He was not in the least bit excited about it. He dragged himself in to the bathroom, and starting getting ready.

* * *

On the car ride to Dean's house, a million scenarios were going through Castiel's head, all of which ending with his near certain demise. What if Dean just laughed and slammed the door in his face? What if Dean wasn't even home? He almost just stopped and turned his car around, but the thought of never seeing Dean again pushed him forward. He found it miraculous that he was able to not succumb to his anxiety as he had so many times before.

* * *

Dean had just finished up a sale, and was in his kitchen attempting to put together lunch when he heard a knock on the door. He wasn't expecting anyone until tomorrow, and was concerned as to who it _could_ be. Bracing himself for the worst, he opened his door, and sighed when he saw who stood before him. Blue eyes met green, and relief swelled through Dean. He let Cas in, noting the nervousness of the man now in his home. Upon Dean's direction, Castiel followed quietly in to the kitchen, brain still racked with fear. When they reached the kitchen, Dean turned to Cas, to find himself much closer to slender man than he would have expected. He studied Castiel's almost blank expression.

"So Cas, what brings you here?" He inquired.

Castiel looked down at his feet, and then back up at Dean. "I'm here to... Buy drugs." He murmured nervously.

"Drugs?" Dean asked his face lighting up whilst almost laughing in near sarcasm.

Castiel nodded, and gulped.

"Cas, buddy." Dean slapped his hand on Cas' shoulder they way he had during their last encounter. "I need you to be a little more specific."

That's it. Cas could feel himself losing it. He could the weightlessness, the tensing of his muscles, and the loss of words. Just as Cas was certain that he was going to pass out on the floor, he heard Dean's voice again, bringing him back in to the real world.

"Cas, that's not why you're here, is it?" Dean's words were dark, and surrounding, with an edge of expectance. As he spoke, he slid his hand down to Castiel's elbow, and gave a squeeze of reassurance before retuning his arm to his side.

Castiel shook his head and bit his lip. He was frustrated. He was better than this. Cas has had problems with anxiety for years, but he had been becoming stronger. Now he felt just like the quivering mess he was years ago.

Dean offered a smile, hoping to lift the obviously downed spirits of the man before him. "Is there something you would like to talk about?"

"Yeah." Castiel muttered, disappointed that that had been the first thing that he had managed to utter since arriving at Dean's house.

Dean sighed and turned to face his refrigerator, from which he produced two beers, handing one to Cas and keeping one for himself. Cas nimbly undid the twist top, and ran it between his fingers.

Dean could tell Cas was nervous. He found it adorable. He knew Castiel would have problems leading this conversation, so he decided to take charge. He had something to say too, after all.

"I like you, Cas." Dean let the words roll off his tongue, and smirked at the end of the statement. He watched as Castiel's eyes widened in surprised. He watched as Castiel's grip on his bottled loosened, and then tightened again. And he watched as Castiel's mouth hung open, and as Castiel spoke. "What do you mean?"

Cas absent-mindedly placed his bottle on the counter as Dean approached him swiftly. Dean placed a hand on Castiel's hip, and another on the side of his face. Drawing Cas close, Dean whispered, "I mean I like you Cas. Ever since you walked in through my door, I knew it. You're special, Cas. I like you."

Castiel's breath hitched at the sudden contact. He let himself be absorbed into Dean's eyes. He couldn't fully comprehend what had just been said, but didn't really try, either. He just knew it was right.

Dean mulled his face towards that of Cas, stopping only centimeters away, so that he could feel warmth breath flowing down his neck. "Can I kiss you, Cas?" Dean asked, voice breathy with desire. Castiel's eyes were shut lazily when he muttered, "Please, Dean." in response.

That was all Dean needed. He pushed his face forward, filling the space between his lips and Cas'. The kisses they shared were at first soft, but quickly grew deeper, and more passionate. Dean swiped his tongue across Castiel's lip, earning a light moan, and easy entry into Cas' eager, hungry mouth. Their tongues roamed against each other for what may have been hours, only stopping for desperate pants of breaths. Finally, Dean broke away, and received a small whimper of protest from Castiel.

Cas looked at Dean hazy-eyed, before checking his phone for the time. Well over an hour had passed since he had left his home, and he had emails he needed to exchange with a potential publisher. "I have to go." He whispered regretfully. Dean had his arms wrapped loosely around Castiel's waist, and was nibbling lightly at his neck. "So soon?" He asked, in an attempt to coax him in to staying longer.

Cas placed a hand underneath of Dean's chin, and pulled his face back so that he could look into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Dean." He said. "This has been nice. Perhaps I can see you again, soon."

Dean sighed. "Tonight? Seven? I'll pick you up, we can go to dinner."

Castiel smiled as he responded, "Alright. But I really have to go." He was blushing more than he would have liked, and he could feel it. Dean gave him one last peck, before he walked him out to the door. As soon as Dean saw Castiel get into his car, he closed the door and sighed, still in shock of what has just unfolded. He knew he had to snap out of it, however. He had a date to prepare for.


	5. Chapter 5- The Best of it's Kind

**A/N: **Hi! I'm back! So this one is a bit longer than a few of the previous ones. I hope you like it! Please review! The smut might be soon, depends if I'm feeling it. You know how that is.

**Title:** Flow Sweetly, Hang Heavy

**Chapter Title: **The Best of it's Kind

**Rating: **Overall; M This Chapter; T for language and sexual themes

**Words: **1892

**The Best of it's Kind**

Cas had a problem.

He had a date with Dean Winchester.

Sounds great, right?

He stared at himself in his bathroom mirror and smiled weakly.

Cas doesn't date. He had never been on one, and never thought he would. Especially with a guy like Dean. He had been asked on a date once before, years ago, back in high school.

He splashed water on to his face.

He tried to go, but he couldn't. He brothers wouldn't let him. They stopped him in the most brutal way they could. But that wouldn't happen this time. He was free from that life.

He reached into the cabinet and took two painkillers.

He would be okay this time.

But that doesn't change the fact that he had no idea how to date.

This is one of those times it would be good to have a friend. Cas didn't have any of those. However, he did have someone. Someone who was known to be able to charm the pants off anyone. Someone he would have to call. This someone was of course, Gabriel.

Castiel walked through his kitchen, feeling the cold floor underneath his bare feet. He grasped his phone tightly, but was hesitant to actually press any buttons. Gabriel was sweet and judging by his constant stream of lovers, good at this kind of thing. But Cas just wasn't sure Gabriel could give the right kind of advice. But he also knew that he'd be hopeless on his own, and who else could he call? He sighed heavily, and began dialing his brother's number.

"Hello?"

Castiel drew in a deep breath at the other line.

"Hello, Gabriel."

"CAS! My main man! What's up?"

"I need help."

"Good, I can pay you back from the other day. What is it, bro?"

"I have a date."

The line went silent for a moment, and Cas checked to make sure it hadn't disconnected.

"... Wow. Um. When?"

Castiel checked his watch.

"About an hour."

"Damn. With who?"

"Dean." Cas heard no response, so he added, "The drug dealer."

"Holy fucking shit. I knew you liked him. But that's not the point. You need help."

"Yes."

"One question. Did he ask you out?"

"Of course. You actually think I could do that?"  
"Good point. Anyway, that's a good sign. It means whatever you're doing now is working. So just be dorky old Cas. No problem."

"But, what if he hates me?" Castiel asked, frightfully

"He doesn't hate you. If he did, he wouldn't be doing this."

"You sure?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure. But look, tonight, when it's your first time, don't fuck him raw. Even if he says he's-" He was cut off by his brother.

Castiel shrieked. "GABRIEL!"

"What?" He responded, innocently.

"I have no intentions of having sex with Dean tonight."

"Why not?"

"Are you forgetting the status of my virginity?"

"Oh right, painfully intact." Cas could hear Gabriel huff.

Castiel said nothing for a moment.

"Can you promise me something, Gabriel?"

"What's that?"

"You won't mention this to our family."

Cas could hear Gabriel drawing a thick sigh on the other line.

"Promise."

That was enough for Cas. He clicked off his phone silently.

* * *

Dean switched off the sink, and glared in the mirror.

"Hey there, fuckwad." He said out loud, to himself.

There was one thing that no one knew about Dean. However much anyone could ever hate him, he would always hate himself even more. Maybe it was because he had built a very tarnished self-esteem after years of neglect. Maybe he was just a lousy guy. It didn't matter to Dean. He had gotten very good at filling the holes in his heart with alcohol, drugs, and empty sex, but he needed something more.

Meeting Cas was a punch in the in the face to Dean. A beautiful, crazy, punch in the face. From the moment Cas slinked into his living room, he knew there was something different about him. He needed not to fuck tonight up. For some reason he didn't quite understand, this was very important. He would not lose Cas. Not yet.

He pulled open his cabinet and rifled through things until he found some painkillers. He took two.  
He had become very good at covering up his mess, or really, the mess that he was. Cas seemed so unbroken, and Dean couldn't come to him as a quivering blob. He practiced his smile in his mirror one more time, and continued getting ready.

'This'll be okay. I'll be okay.' He thought to himself. And he would be. More than he knew.

* * *

Two hours after Cas and Dean's encounter at Dean's house, Castiel was flopped over his sofa. He was not at all ready.

Part of him was very excited for tonight. Dean would pick him up, take him to a restaurant he likes, after that, who knows what? The prospect of the evening made Cas feel more excited than he had been in years, and it was paired with a sort of tingly delight that was all too new to the young artist. This part of him could hardly wait for Dean's arrival

Another part of him was very frightened. What if Dean doesn't find him interesting? What if he messed up this date? He had budding feelings for Dean, and he knew it. Even though they had only known each other a short time, he could tell they shared a more profound bond. However, Castiel knew very little about dating. In addition to that, preparing himself for this evening's events has brought back very painful suppressed memories from his first attempt. They way his brothers, the two very people he had looked up to throughout his childhood, has taken turns holding him down and beating him until he has bloody and in comatose. How all of his siblings watched, but said nothing, except Gabriel, who wasn't home that night. It was all coming back to him, and it was all too real. He shuttered, and shoved those thoughts back down with a heavy gulp. The last thing he needed tonight was to be traumatized before the date even started. However, he was certain his nightmares would come back tonight while he was resting. This part of him almost hoped Dean had changed his mind, or lost his address, or something.  
Of one thing he was certain, he liked Dean. And that was the most exciting and frightening part about all of this.

Just as his thoughts were concluding, as if almost on cue, there was a knock on the door that Cas knew could only be Dean. He approached the door, and hesitated for a moment. With a deep breath, he pulled the door, revealing just the man he had been expecting.

"Hi Cas, I hope I'm not late." Dean said, with a smile.

"Not at all." Castiel replied, returning the bright beam.

* * *

"This is my baby. She's a 1967 Chevy Impala. The best car you'll ever ride in, I promise." Dean said, as he led Castiel to his car.

Cas blinked. "I drive a Honda." He announced, hoping to show off his ignorance towards cars.

Dean laughed heartily, and let Cas into the passenger side of his car. "Maybe I'll have you come help me fix it up. She's a beauty, but she's old, and a bit finicky."

Castiel smiled. "I'd like that."

* * *

As promised, Dean took Castiel out for dinner. They went nowhere special, just to a small bar and grill Dean knew about. But it meant a lot to Cas, finally being able to go on a date. He even let Dean hold his hand as they entered the restaurant. As they sat, they were greeted by a friendly, attractive waitress. She had dusty brown hair that swept at her shoulders, and a thick British accent.

"What can I get for you boys?" She asked, pulling her shoulders back in her bright yellow polo. Her body was facing towards Castiel, who was obviously cowering. She only poked her chest out further.

"Um, just a water for now." Cas quivered.

The waitress kept her smile and her eyes on Cas, whilst Dean said sternly "How 'bout a Coke."

When the young woman turned to Dean, he wore a proud smile, causing her own to fade. She scribbled down his order nonetheless. He shoulders slouched more as she was turned to Dean and the friendly disposition that she had towards Cas seemed to be lacking.

Striding away, she put an extra bounce in her step that made her hips sway more than they should have.

"I think she likes you." Dean said nodding, once he was certain that she was out of earshot.

"You think?" Castiel looked over to the take she was now helping.

"Yeah." Dean leaned across the table. "Why, are you interested?"

Castiel slid his hand over Dean's, which was sitting loosely on the table top, turned upwards, nearly begging for contact.

"No," Castiel whispered, slyly. "I have my eye on someone else."

Dean leaned forward in his seat, coaxed towards Castiel by his words. He stared longingly at the slightly chapped lips that were being held up nicely by a proud smirk. "And who would that be?" Dean purred, restraining himself jumping across the table and putting his lips onto Cas.

Castiel did not respond, but instead let his eyes do all of the talking. The expression he wore was that of care, but also of lust and Dean took it all in fully. The moment passed when a Coke was slammed impatiently between them. Surprised, they both turned to the waitress, who then placed Cas' water in front of him with a smile.

"So, are you about ready to order, then?" She asked, pulling a notepad out from her apron, and looking openly at Cas.

Dean smiled, and ordered for both of them, causing an apparent upset from the young waitress.

* * *

It was almost ten o'clock when Cas returned home. It was quiet and dark as he snuck into his own apartment, and flicked on the lights. He sat in his kitchen and sighed.

It was best night he had ever had. Ever.

The way Dean laughed, and joked, and talked, and smiled was breathtaking. He even stole a kiss; right after Cas took a jab at him for only tipping five percent. Dean's defense? She was hitting on the most attractive person he had ever gotten to take out. This, for obvious reasons, was not okay.

Cas rolled his sleeve up, revealing Dean's phone number that had been written in Sharpie on his forearm. He copied the number on to his notepad, before running to take a shower. Through the night's events, he hasn't realized how tired he was becoming, and was ready to slink in to bed.

* * *

Several hours later, Castiel awoke, gasping. His body was covered in sweat, and his was grasping his sheets in fistfuls.

'Another nightmare.' He though aloud. He knew this was coming, but very much hoped out wouldn't. As his thoughts cleared, however, he recollected memories not of night terrors full of abuse and pain, but yet full of something different. Something better.

Flashes of skin pressed to lips, teeth, and the skin of another in a heated environment filled his brain, and suddenly he understood.

Castiel had been dreaming of Dean.


	6. Chapter 6- My Heart to You

**A/N: **So this was pretty emotional for me to write. I cried, negl. It was going to be longer, but it's already six and I have to post today. But yo smut isn't that fun? God, I hate this story….

**Title: **Flow Sweetly, Hang Heavy

**Chapter Title: **My Heart to You

**Rating: **Overall; M This Chapter; M for descriptions of abuse and pornz.

**Warning: **If you're easily triggered by abuse and related topics I suggest running away.

**Words: **2,323

**My Heart To You **

The next day, Castiel didn't call Dean.

He almost did, after spending nearly the whole day considering it, most of that day being spent on his bedroom floor, staring at his phone. His main concern was seeming too desperate. He didn't want Dean to think that he wasn't interested, because he was, but he also worried that he may come off as too needy.

"Dating is hard." Castiel had complained after an hour of thinking. It was his anxiety that became the final decider. Phone calls just weren't Castiel's forte.

So the day after their date, Castiel did not call Dean. But he promised himself he would, when the time is right, that is.

* * *

As it would so happen, the so-called 'right time' happened the very next day.

Cas was busy at his canvas at time, although he wasn't very much thinking about his art. His mind was elsewhere, on Dean, of course. Fed up, he dropped his brush in the tub of water with a 'clunk', and ran into the kitchen. Absent-mindedly, he grabbed his phone and the pad where Dean's number was written. He dialed the number without thought and listened for the ring. It wasn't until he heard the familiar "Hello?" from the other line that he became fully conscious of what he was doing. He straightened out his back and cleared his throat.

"Hello, Dean."

"Hey there, Cas! What's up?" Dean's voice was cheery, and it made Castiel smile.

"Um, nothing. Nothing." Castiel responded hesitantly. "I just thought I should call."

For a moment, there was a silence from the other line that worried Castiel.

Sure enough Dean replied with, "I'd like to see you again, if that's alright with you."

Castiel bit his lip, almost as if he was trying to bite back a laugh, and responded "Well of course. When and where?"

Castiel had to have a celebratory shimmy in response to Dean's request.

"How about tonight?" Dean asked. "You can come over, I'll make you dinner. You could come at about eight?"

"Alright then." Castiel responded, smiling, even though he knew that Dean could not see it.  
They chatted a bit longer about this and that, before saying their goodbyes. Castiel could hardly wait for that evening.

* * *

7:57 pm, Castiel was sitting at Dean's door step, adjusting his tie. He wore his usual leaving-the-house-but-not-going-to-Target outfit, which consisted of a white dress shirt, a blue tie that matched his eyes, and black dress pants, which seemed to be getting a bit snug. He decided to check his watch one more time, just to make sure that he was being timely. Cas took a deep breath and knocked on the door three times, hoping that he was loud enough for Dean to hear. He waited a few moments, until Dean opened the door, beaming. He was in faded jeans and a fairly new looking black t-shirt. Cas couldn't help but notice that it hugged his figure in all the right ways.

"Hey gorgeous." said Dean as Cas entered his home.

Castiel turned to him and they kissed, shortly but passionately.

"I made chicken parmesan." Dean murmured, his lips still very nearly pressed to Cas'.

Cas smiled, and hummed in response. He held Dean's hand as he was led through the familiar kitchen where he and Dean shared their first kiss, and in to a room he didn't recognize, which he assumed to be Dean's dining room. It was openly connected to a den, and continued with the house's light-toned-but-still-country-homey theme. The rounded table that sat in the center of the dining room was set for two, each plate with identical meals and a flickering candle as the centerpiece.

Dean smirked, and ran to pull out a chair for Cas, whose grin spread across his face as he took the seat. He looked at his meal, and was pleased. Chicken backed in bread crumbs with sauce and cheese on top, over pasta. Or, as it was better and more widely known, chicken Parmesan. He cut daintily into the chicken, stopping to look up at Dean, who was watching him expectantly. Cas grinned and took a bite, letting the flavors seep around through his mouth. He nodded happily, causing Dean to break out in a beaming expression.

They ate, for awhile, in a comfortable silence. They didn't talk, but they also didn't need to talk, they were content with each other's presence. It was funny how they moved, really. Occasionally stealing glances at each other, sometimes mirroring the other's actions, their bodies seeming to be in a casual synchronization. If someone was watching, they would probably assume by the way that they were acting that they were a couple that had been together for quite some time, instead of two men on their second date.

Eventually, Dean broke the silence. "So Cas, tell me about yourself. I want to know more about you."

Castiel was surprised by the request, but pleased to know that he felt that way. "What you would like to know?" he inquired in response.

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. Something. What was first date like?"

Castiel chuckled at the question. He bit at his lip for a moment, and answered slyly, "I think you should know, considering that you were there."

Dean nearly choked on his food. "You mean two nights ago?!" he exclaimed. "That was your first ever?"

Castiel simply nodded, appearing to be terribly uninterested in the conversation.

"If you don't mind me asking, why?" Dean nearly whispered, leaning forward in his chair.

Castiel gulped audibly. His muscles tightened and his legs began to shake. "It's- um- a bit of a touchy story. Kind of a long one, too."

Dean sat his drink on the table, and tool one of Castiel's hands in his. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to," he said. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Cas shook his head, and replied, "No, actually, I'd like to talk about it." he looked around the room nervously. "Is there anywhere else that we can sit?" Cas asked.

Dean nodded, and without letting go of Cas' hand, took him to the sofa in his den, where they sat with Dean's arm wrapped around Castiel's waist.

For what could have been no more than five minutes, but yet seemed like an hour, they sat on the sofa, Castiel's head nuzzled in to Dean's shoulder. Finally, Castiel spoke.

"I was eighteen," he said, looking up at Dean, almost losing himself again in the greenness. "a senior in high school. There was a guy who was a couple grades below me. We had been talking for awhile, and he eventually worked up the nerve to ask me on a date. I, of course, accepted. My mom died when I was seven, and my dad wasn't around much, so I was practically raised by my older siblings. The only one I told about my date was my sister, Anna, because I thought that I could tell her not to tell the rest. I was wrong. While I was getting ready, my two oldest siblings, Michael and Lucifer came in to my room, asking all kinds of questions. I lied, but of course they already knew the truth. The beat me. They took turns holding me down and wouldn't stop until I was unconscious and bleeding, the whole time calling me a faggot and a queer. All of my other siblings just watched, except Gabriel, who wasn't home that night. I ended up being in a coma for three days. When I came back from the hospital, that wasn't the end of it. It was actually just the beginning. The beatings and harassment became regular and eventually I couldn't take it anymore. Right after I graduated high school Gabriel and I left for the city. That's how I got here."

Sometime during his story, Cas had adverted his eyes from Dean's in near shame. After he finished, he looked back up to Dean, only to see a single tear running down the side of his face. Cas instinctively reached his hand to Dean's face, and wiped away the stream with his thumb. "I'm so sorry." Dean whispered, whilst choking back tears.

"Don't be sorry. Things happen." Castiel responded.

Dean pulled a hand to the side of Castiel's face, and lowered his face, putting only centimeters between them.

"Listen to me," Dean ordered. "Things like that shouldn't happen to a beautiful, wonderful person like you. As long as I have you, and as long as I live, I won't let anyone hurt you, ever again. I swear."

Castiel had no words. Not for how appreciative he was of Dean, not for how happy he felt, not for sorry he was that he had made Dean cry, not for how much he trusted Dean in that moment, and in whole, not even for how much he cared for Dean. So instead of speaking, he pressed their lips together, letting his touch speak all the words that he couldn't.

Dean absorbed every movement and emotion he could from Cas, and he respected all of it. He knew then that he would have to protect Cas, but above that, he would have to make him happy, and help him forget all the pain that had been caused to him by the people he used to trust. He would show him a new kind of trust and a new kind of love. So when Castiel slid his tongue against Dean's bottom lip, he opened his mouth readily and allowed Castiel entry. Their tongues slid together with ease, as Dean gripped Cas' hip lightly. Castiel grabbed the back of Dean's neck and pulled him downward so that Dean was over top him, never breaking their sweet kiss.

Suddenly, Cas tore away from Dean, letting his head plop down on the pillow. His mouth hung open slightly, with lips that were red and swollen from kissing. Blue eyes searched frantically across Dean, before his gaze interlocked with a caring pair of green eyes. "Dean," Castiel gulped. "I want you."

Dean nodded and smiled sweetly, once again joining his lips with those of Castiel. He wrapped both of Cas' legs around his waist, and his arms around his neck. He wrapped one arm around the small of Castiel's back, while the other rested just below Cas, as to hold him up. He carried Castiel up the stairs this way, pausing only to kiss Castiel chastely, whom was nibbling at his ear and neck when he was not doing so. Castiel was light in Dean's strong arms, so Dean could easily whisk him up the stairs and into his bedroom, where they fell on to Dean's bed.

Dean kissed at Castiel's neck, drawing out soft little moans. Against the soft skin of Castiel's neck Dean whispered, "Cas baby, I'm gonna make you feel so good. You gotta tell me what you want. What do you want me to do, baby?"

"Kiss me." Castiel whispered.

Dean did as he was told, kissing Cas deeply. He kissed down Cas, neck as he slid his hands underneath the white button-down. He began undo each button slowly, because he wanted to take time with this process. He wanted it to last. When the final button was undone Dean slid the shirt off of Cas' thin shoulders. His eyes flickered over the expanse of Castiel's body. It had a fairly pale complexion without being too much so. Cas was actually fairly toned and his body was sleek.

Occasionally on his body, the clear skin would be interrupted by a scar or other mark that Dean was almost certain must have been a product of abuse. He took time to kiss every scar, and tonguing at certain spots in-between them. He flicked his tongue across either of Cas' nipples, stopping to suck on and scrape his teeth against the right one, earning a moan and a shiver from the man lying below him. His hands slid to Castiel's hips where the pad of his thumb ran circles on the place where his hipbones jutted out.

Dean placed his mouth just above Castiel's waistline, sucking harshly, determined to leave a mark. After he was satisfied with his work, and impressed by the red mark, he placed one hand where Cas' zipper was. He looked back up at Castiel, searching for his gaze. "Is this okay?" he asked, running his finger across the button. Cas' hips arched into Dean's hand as he moaned a needy "Yes…"

Dean complied, undoing the fastened pants slowly, pulling them off of the thinner man's legs. Dean pushed the seam of Castiel's boxers up towards his hip, and licked his inner thigh, adoring every moan that poured from the mouth above him. Cas, fed up with waiting, pushed his boxers down his hips eagerly, hissing at the cool air hitting his throbbing manhood. Dean continued kissing at Castiel's thighs, until the moans became too much for him to ignore.

"What do you want, baby? Just tell me." Dean murmured.

"Touch me." Cas gasped.

Dean kissed the base of Castiel's erection, feeling it pulse underneath his mouth. Pulling his head back, he could see thick droplets of pre-cum on Castiel's soft tip. Curiously, he tongued at it slowly. Castiel shivered, and Dean loved it. Eager for more, he swallowed Cas as much as he could. Dean let his tongue run up Castiel's shaft as he bobbed his head up and down against the length. Castiel was big enough that it took quite some difficulty for Dean to take in all of him, but he managed. When the head hit the back of his throat, he hummed, causing Cas to writhe beneath him.

It wasn't long until Castiel came, shooting heat down Dean's throat, while Dean milked him dry and swallowed down all of it.

"You're perfect, baby." Dean murmured as he joined their lips together once again.


	7. Chapter 7- The Morning After

**A/N: **Okay, sorry about this chapter, I just really needed to post after not posting for two weeks. Oh, about that, I was in Canada. I'm sorry! Don't hate me!

**Title: **Flow Sweetly, Hang Heavy

**Chapter Title: **The Morning After

**Rating: **Overall: M- This Chapter; T, for language

**Words: **2, 187

**The Morning After**

Castiel awoke abruptly when he realized that he was not only not in his bed at his apartment, but he was also wrapped up tightly against a firm body.

He blinked away the restful sleep and his mind cleared as he searched for hidden memories of where was.

He remembered, and smiled.

He remembered coming to Dean's house for dinner, he remembered trusting Dean, and caring for him.

He even vaguely remembered asking to stay the night.

He turned his weary head to look at Dean. He was beautiful, the way he always was, but now he was something else, too. He was peaceful.

Careful not to disturb the sleeping man next to him, he untangled himself from Dean's arms, making sure to thank whoever was out there for Dean being a heavy sleeper.

He slinked his way into the bathroom that was adjacent to the bedroom where they had been resting. Castiel found a mirror, and examined himself. His hair stuck out in all different directions, giving him a slightly frazzled look that was somehow different from usual. He was wearing nothing but boxers, this much he had expected. Cas' naked body, for an unknown reason, looked less thinned out than usual, causing the word 'lean' to run through his mind rather than the usual term 'wiry'.

'Must be a confidence thing,' he thought 'maybe getting sucked off by the most gorgeous man you've ever met does that to a guy.'

He nearly cringed at the thought.

'Sucked off' sounded so dirty.

It was something hookers did.

'Sucked off' would have been if Cas and Dean had met a lousy party, with both of them probably already completely smashed, and Dean had him whip out in an isolated corner somewhere so that he could take his length and spit out his cum.

What Dean did was a sign of affection. An intimate, personal, and deep sign of affection.  
Cas scratched his wily head, still looking in to Dean's mirror, but now with a thin smile stretched across his face. For the first time in a long time, he was content, truly content.

Usually his happiness was thrashed with deep undertones of sadness, desolation, and blind rage.

However, now, he was just content. It was a good feeling.

Once he decided that he was through staring at himself in Deans mirror, he cracked open the door back into the bedroom. An orange light poured through the room, leaving Cas to deduce that it was sunrise and he had actually awoken far earlier than he had originally anticipated. Either that, or him and Dean had slept until the late afternoon, but being as aware of his sleeping schedule as he was, he found that to be impossibly less likely than the other option. His eye blinked over to the bed, and was a bit shocked to find that it was vacant, and the sheets that had been lying over Dean's body when he had left the room were now tossed up in a pile on the center of the bed.

Cas heard loud laughter coming from a room below him, allowing for the idea of Dean's profession, if that's even something that it could be called, wallowed through his brain. It took him no more than a few seconds to put two and two together in his mind.

Out of the corner of his dainty eye, Cas spotted his dress shirt, lying on the floor next to the black t-shirt that Dean had been wearing the night before. He picked up his shirt and held it in front of his face, only to shake his head, drop it, and instead choose the black shirt, which he slid over his body with ease. It was quite big on him, but it was comfortable, smelt nice, and sure as Hell beat the starchy dress shirt he had added to the selection. The cloth was soft on his skin, and made him feel comfortable, in more ways than one.

The sensation had nothing on the pleasure that was synonymous with being held in Dean's arms, but was comfortable nonetheless.

"You look good in that." a deep voice cooed.

Castiel turned so that he was facing the door, and he saw Dean leaning against the doorframe, already dressed in a loose-fitting Kurt Cobain style sweater and jeans.

Castiel ran his palms along his sides in an attempt to smooth out the shirt.

"So early?" He asked curiously, using his head to gesture slightly at the door way, and inevitably, the downstairs.

"Yeah," Dean sighed, obviously catching the message. "He's going out-of-town for a bit, wanted to stock up, I guess."

While Dean had been talking, Cas had slinked his way under the doorframe, and began sliding his hands up the outside of Dean's sweater.

Dean wove his fingers through the back of Cas' hair as he slid his other hand to his light hip.

Their faces met gingerly, noses only barely brushing against each other.

Lips meeting only lightly, both men very aware of the morning breath that they were sure to have, the pair kissed softly.

Dean must have decided to ignore it, however, because in a moment's time, he was biting lightly at Castiel's bottom lip. Castiel let out a slight moan as Dean slid his tongue past his teeth. It wasn't long before Castiel pulled his chin back, drawing his face away from Dean's.

"I have to leave." he murmured apologetically.

Dean sighed. "Always busy?" he asked.

"Always." Cas whispered dramatically, before closing in for a chaste kiss.

"Am I going to see you again?" Dean inquired with a worried look on his face.

Castiel let out an exasperated sigh. "Do you think I could really stay away?"

Smiling, Dean pulled his hands back from Castiel's hips, and made his way to a nearby dresser. He shuffled through its contents for a moment's time, and held out a pair of white sweatpants.

"Wear these." he commanded. back still turned to Castiel.

Cas tilted his head back, face pointed to the ceiling, as a deep, throaty laugh emerged from his mouth, one that Dean had never seen before.

Dean, who at the time was still turned to the dresser, snapped to face Castiel, his left eyebrow cocked in a wily suspicion. "You okay?" he asked, unsure if he was joking or not.

Through chuckles, Castiel responded, "You're keeping my clothes?!"

Dean rolled his eyes and stepped towards Castiel, placing a hand in either one of his hips, drawing him in tightly.

"I just don't want you to be uncomfortable, that's all." he whispered. "And, you know, doesn't hurt to keep collateral, in case you decide that I'm boring or something." Dean added, with a wink.

Castiel shoved Dean playfully in the shoulder. "I'm coming back, I swear!" but grabbed the sweatpants from Dean's hand nonetheless. He slid the pants over his legs, never breaking the stare that connected Dean's smug look and the disapproving one from Cas.

Dean wrapped up Castiel tightly, finding himself loathing the time that their skin was apart.

"You don't have to leave." he murmured, lips presses against the soft skin of Castiel's neck.

"If only that was true." He sighed.

* * *

Dean led Castiel out the door, stopping twice to steal kisses. When they got to Cas' car, they stopped again for a make-out session. Dean had Cas pinned to the car, and purring against his lips.

"God man," Dean breathed against the heat of Castiel's mouth. "I'm crazy about you. You're... God, you're something else."

Cas chuckled, a thin smile curling, gingerly brushing Dean's grin.

"So, does that mean you're not going to let me leave?"

"I guess if I kidnap you, you won't come back." Dean sighed, reluctantly.

Cas smirked, and clicked open his

car door. He pulled Dean by the neck, snagging a chaste kiss before climbing into the front seat of his

Honda. Dean waved him away as he finally, finally got to go home.

* * *

When Dean got back in his house, he head was spinning. Cas was killing him. Castiel was literally killing him. He could hardly even breathe when they were together. He couldn't look at him, couldn't just stare. With his messy hair and expansive blue eyes, he was gorgeous. Stubble lined his chin in the most amazing way possible, and his plump, slightly-chapped lips were just tantalizing. Dean couldn't just stare, because he had to have him wrapped up in his arms. His skin was soft and he smelt nice making the whole thing something that he could easily deal with. He was almost scared, of losing him he supposed, but it was all such a rush. He didn't have time to think about his fears because he was too busy thinking about how crazy he was for Cas, his gorgeous, perfect Cas. He wasn't lying when he had Cas pinned to the car. He was something else, and he was crazy about him. It was like a train had hit him, except he was falling hard for the train. Castiel was his favorite, and that's all that he was sure of anymore. Dean realized that he hadn't actually planned the next time that he would see Cas. It made him anxious not knowing, and he didn't want to wait. He couldn't call now, obviously, but soon he would. He couldn't get his mind off of Cas.

* * *

When Castiel got back to his apartment, his head was spinning. He had spent a night in someone else's bed, for the first time ever. He was excited about Dean. He was scared, almost, about how much he cared about him, but he liked it nonetheless. It was exhilarating.

He smiled at the thought, and adjusted the black t-shirt.

What he really needed was tea, something that would soothe him and clear his mind all at once.  
If he wanted to see Dean again, he knew that he should probably get some work done. He turned on his laptop and checked his email, deleting old emails and doing nothing other than procrastinating.  
Eventually, he mustered up the motivation that he could, and worked his way in to the studio.  
He needed to start painting something new; he was so tired of his old work, so he pulled out his notebook. This was the notebook that he kept all the ideas for his paintings in. It contained sketches, and phrases, and color schemes and explanations. It was essentially what Cas used to make art.  
He flipped open to a blank page, and began scrawling.

"_It's about Dean, of course_." his page soon read in little letters across the top. He liked to talk to himself like he was an idiot; it got the point across easier, no matter his state of mind.

He felt almost strange doing this. He and Dean hadn't known each other long, and this would be his second painting about him.

However, Castiel was always the one to say "When you're motivated; make." and Hell, he was motivated. He was sure Dean wouldn't mind.  
He sorted through a few ideas, before settling on one fact that he would need to know. He would need to know Dean's favorite color. He could represent everything he knew to be Dean, if only he knew that. He could capture the intensity of his eyes, his musky scent of motor oil and leather, his remarkable feature; he could even probably find a way to play in his favorite music. He would just need a color palette to tie it all together. So, he picked up his phone.

It rang a few times before Dean answered.

"Hello?" Dean asked, music playing in the background.

"Hello, Dean." said Castiel, voice as deep and gravely as ever.

"Hey! Cas! What's up?" Cas had now identified the music as Led Zeppelin's 'Ramble On'.

"I needed to ask you something, Dean." Castiel stated whilst raising his voice to challenge the music.

"Shoot." Dean responded as he turned the music down to a more comfortable level for conversation.

"What's your favorite color?"

There was a moment's pause, but eventually Dean asked, "What?"

"Your favorite color, Dean." Cas repeated.

"Oh," Dean said, sounding mildly confused. "I think probably purple. I don't really know, I haven't given it much thought."

"Excellent." Cas replied, smiling.

Dean drew in a long breath, and Cas listened as he exhaled slowly.

"When can I see you again?" Dean finally asked.

"Oh, so you really are interested in me."

"Yes."

"I was contemplating that maybe you weren't."

"Well, I am."

"Whenever you're free I suppose." Cas ran his hand through his hair expectantly, having not forgotten the question asked.

Dean clicked his tongue as he contemplated his options. "Tomorrow? I can call you and we can work out a time."

"Sounds brilliant." Cas replied.

"Alright, I got to go, but I'll definitely call you.

"Goodbye, Dean."

Castiel turned off his phone, and silently celebrated the prospect of being with Dean.

He walked- no -strutted back to his canvas, a new sort of confidence waving over him.

He had work to begin.


	8. Chapter 8- Waiting

**A/N: **Wow this took forever to do. But a lot happens so that's nice I get all pansy-ish on you towards the end. Oh, and a time gap is coming up soon eventually maybe. So yeah. I'm updated this at like three in the morning, so that's always fun. Oh hey, how about that Goodbye Stranger? *sobs*

3 cheers for poorly written smut.

Im sorry.

Its late.

Ill do better next time.

**Title: **Flow Sweetly, Hang Heavy

**Chapter Title: **Waiting

**Rating: **MA, HAHAHAHA SMUT

**Warning: **porns. But not too much, or too detailed. Thatll be later. Its kinda sweet because its their first time okay

**Words: **2,897

**Waiting**  
2pm came the next day and Cas' typical busy afternoon had gone in to full-swing. He went to Target to pick up some groceries, had a lengthy phone call with Gabriel, and exchanged a few emails with a very significant publishing group.

All that he had left to do was laundry.

He was blessed to have a washer and dryer in his apartment, so he didn't have to bother with wallowing in herds of other patrons of a Laundromat, all too occupied with their dirtied garments and strange daily mishaps to notice what a monstrosity they were, not to say Cas was any better than they were. He just liked to be more private with his daily procedures.

He turned on his record player and an old Bob Marley vinyl spun, allowing for its graceful melodies to flow around the apartment. The light notes of reggae had always been some of Cas' favorites, as he found himself easily enjoying the accents of the singers, the steel drums at work, and the genres other amazing feats.

Cas rocked his hips lightly to the melody, letting himself go in the music. It was calming. It had always been calming.

As the second verse of the song turned to chorus, his phone rang, causing him to snap back in to reality.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Cas."

"Oh, Dean. Hi."

"Are you listening to Bob Marley?"

"Yes, yes I am."

Dean laughed. "Nice. I dig it."

"Well I'm glad that you do." Castiel let himself smile.

"So, Cas, you wanna go out tonight?"

Cas tightened up.

"Dean, I don't exactly know if 'going out' would be the best idea. I'm not exactly... Socially adequate." he nearly whimpered.

"Not good with crowds, huh? Well that's alright. Tell you what, how about you have me over tonight? Then you won't even have to leave your house, yeah?"

Cas adjusted his sweater and cleared his throat. "Um, if you'd like to, I wouldn't mind at all. That'd be nice, actually."

"Okay, well I have work to do until six thirty; I can be round anytime after seven." Dean offered.

"Sevens fine."

"Great, I'll see you then."

They offered goodbyes, and split ways for the time being. ..

Castiel was a flurried mess for the rest of the afternoon. He was such a perfectionist, and for love of all that was holy, Dean Winchester was going to be in his house. So he frantically cleaned every surface and scrubbed every floor until they were all practically sparkling. He vacuumed the rug in his living room, and scrubbed the kitchen counters, twice, just for good measure.

He decided that he would work on his studio last, the back room always being the least of his concern. Once he was satisfied reasonably with the rest if the apartment, he swept and tidied the typically fairly unkempt workplace. Castiel soon noticed that it was almost six fifteen, and he hadn't done anything to get himself ready yet. Hastily, he threw a sheet over his nearly blank canvas, very unconcerned about Dean actually entering his studio.

Cas took a brisk shower, hoping that just a quick wash would be enough to clean away the sweat of a day of cleaning.

His outfit was easy enough to pick out, a loose, plain, button-down shirt that matched his eyes, and dark jeans to match. Figuring that he wouldn't have to be too formal, Cas was pleased with his attire. He felt, in a strange way, confident. Far more so than he had with all of his and Dean's other meetings. It was refreshing.

Dean, however, had no such luxury. He was stressed. He had practically invited himself in to Castiel's home, basically begging to be hated. Now it was dawning on him that he didn't know how to act. Cas was frankly a little weird and how was Dean supposed to know what to expect. For the love of God, he was an artist, and what do artists do?

He was so distracted by his own stress, he had hardly noticed that he had arrived at Cas' house and was already knocking on the door.

Cas opened the door looking wonderful with a sly smile, Dean couldn't help but to grab Cas by the face and pull him in for a kiss. He wrapped his fingers through the dark tufts of hair, pulling lightly. Castiel's long fingers found their way to Dean's hips, rapping softly at the jutted out bone.

"You miss me?" Dean asked as he broke his face away, only slightly, from that of Castiel.

"You have no idea." Cas replied, hot breath pouring down Dean's neck.

Dean closed his mouth to Castiel's again, practically humming in glee.

Cas grabbed at Dean's wrist as he pulled himself away.

"Come inside." he beckoned mouth still warm from the contact that he was already missing.  
Dean did as he was told, the stress he felt now rolling away more and more with each breath.

As he stepped inside, he was pleasantly surprised by Castiel's apartment. It looked like he did a lot of thrift shopping, and maybe even made some of the decorations, but it was nice, and it was homey. It was the kind of place that Dean could find Castiel easily fitting in to. It even smelt like Cas.

"Sorry we couldn't go out tonight." Cas called, already in his kitchen. "Some days are just worse than others."

"No, really, it's okay. I think I like having you alone better anyway."

Dean watched as Castiel's ears turned red, and even though he was turned the other way, Dean could tell that he blushing.

"So, what are you so kindly preparing for me this evening?" Dean asked.

Castiel turned to face him, the blush still reminiscent on his face. "I'm making fish and rice." He bit his lip shyly as he spoke.

Dean smiled, and responded, "Right. Because fish is like, poultry."

Castiel couldn't help but laugh. "Fish is not poultry, Dean."

"I know that, that's why I said *like* poultry." Dean said whilst rolling his eyes. Castiel smirked at Dean's attempt.

Their eyes interlocked as Dean smiled. "Your rice is boiling over." Dean said, expression never flinching.

Castiel swore to himself and tended to the meal.

Five minutes later the food was done, so Dean and Cas were sat on barstools at Castiel's' counter.

"You know, I'm not really in to nutritional whatevers, but this is damn good." Dean said, taking a bite of his fish.

"'Nutritional whatevers'?" Nice Dean, nice." Cas responded, smiling down at his plate.

There was a pause.

"Go ahead, ask it." Dean urged solemnly.

Cas tilted his head cluelessly. "Ask what?"

Snickering unhappily, Dean said, "Ask why.

Why would a decent guy like myself get in to drugs?"

Cas shrugged. "I don't know Dean, why?"

"I have a little brother." Dean started. "His name is Sam. Kid wanted nothing more in this world than to go to Stanford. He used to talk about how he wanted to go all the time. He wanted to be a lawyer. Unfortunately, Mom died when we were kids, and my dad was a bit- okay, a lot- of a dead beat." Dean spoke slowly, his voice earnest and calm, but also troubled. "So, I had to make a lot of money real quick. I had a job and I was damn good at it, but even with scholarships, school is expensive. Honest work just wasn't enough, so I picked up this." He sighed and almost seemed like he was swallowing back tears. "Evidently, Sam had about the same idea. But his sorry ass got caught. Cops had been watching him for awhile, and he ended up getting a pretty mean sentence, even got charged as an adult. He's still there, jail I mean. I miss him like Hell, but there isn't much I can do. I told him, so many times to stop, but you know what they say." he turned to face Cas whose cheeks had been reddening and eyes watering. "There ain't no rest for the wicked." His words rolled off his tongue and he ended with a smile, one that was sweet, and sad.

"So that's why you still do it?" Cas asked, voice cracking.

Dean nodded, diverting his eyes shamefully from Castiel. He heard a whimper from Cas, who suddenly grabbed the far side of Dean's face and pulled him in for a kiss that was sweet and lingering. He knew that he had to be there for Dean, just as Dean was for him. He would have to be a great lover and his best friend, which seemed impossibly difficult, but he could do it for Dean.

When Cas stared at Dean, he looked in to the green eyes hazily with a grin creeping across his face. Cas had a plan, and Dean could feel it.

"You wanna see something?" he whispered, before placing a chaste kiss on to Dean's lips.

Dean hummed. "Sure." he answered as he let himself be dragged along by the hand.

He followed Cas in to a small room near the back of the apartment, which he almost immediately recognized to be a sort of studio. Many tables were set up, and several cabinets stood , all lined and laced with brushes, paints, chalks, charcoal, pens, pencil, a few other things that Dean could name and plenty more that he couldn't. Possibly the most predominantly standing thing in the room was an easel, covered by a matted looking cloth.

"Regarde." Cas spoke softly. as he removed the cloth from the canvas.

At first glance, the canvas seemed bare, but with a second look Dean took note of faint grey lines covering the fabric.

"Crayon?" he asked, trying his best at French pronunciation.

"Oui, trés bien." Cas responded.

With the right focus, Dean could clearly make out an intricate sketch of what seemed to be a lake with a pier, him, Castiel, and even on the far bank, his car. Dean and Cas were facing the lake, and from the looks of it, Dean was fishing.

Dean was dumb struck at its sheer beauty. "Wow." he whispered, face only inches from the canvas.

"Cas this is- this is beautiful. What's it called?" He gaped.

Cas pulled out his notebook from its placed and flipped to the pages where he had his ideas laid out.

"Purple Skies." He announced proudly as he handed the book to Dean.

Dean studied it, a grin spreading across his face. Cas watched as he read, once again amazed at his beauty and sheer flawlessness. He gulped, and attempted to start a conversation that he had been meaning to start since they had spent the night together.

"Hey, um, Dean." he awkwardly stammered.

"Yeah Cas?" Dean asked, not looking away from the notebook.

"I've been meaning to ask you-" he said nervously, "Are we, I mean- am I… Well, are you my…"

"Boyfriend."Dean replied, smiling at Castiel. "That's the word that you're so carefully dancing around."

"Um, yeah. That'd be it."

Dean put the book down and wrapped his arms around Castiel's waist. "If you'd like me to be your boyfriend, I could be." He whispered, staring deeply in to Castiel's eyes.

Castiel could feel himself blush. "I'd like that."

Dean titled Cas' face up ever so lightly, and pressed their lips together, absorbing every move, touch, and smell of his _boyfriend._

Castiel grabbed Dean by the collar and pressing his face deeply against Dean's. Dean took this as an opportunity to slide his tongue along Castiel's lip, earning a moan and entry in to Cas' mouth, which he took full advantage of.

When Dean slid his hand on to Cas' hip, cupping the bone, he felt a wide palm slide up his chest.

"I feel bad." Cas murmured against Dean's lips.

"We can stop if you want." he replied.

Cas wrapped a hand in Dean's short hairs.

"No, Dean," he growled lustfully, "I feel bad for leaving you. I got to have all the fun and I didn't give anything back."

Cas bit down on Dean's lip as he spoke.

"It's never too late..." he spoke between kisses, "to return the favor."

Cas brushed their lips together. "Are you trying to take advantage of me?"

"I wouldn't dream of it." Dean whispered, as he drew a thumb across Castiel's cheek

With those words, Cas and his hasty and needy hands covered Dean, pressing their lips and skin together close.

Cas eagerly slid his lips down the column of Dean's neck, excited by the moans he was eliciting. His lips fluttered down the skin, the stubble scratching at him, not like he cared. He was enjoying this far too much to care. The pads of Dean's thumbs pushed in to Castiel's hips lightly, so in response, Cas rolled his hips up and rubbed his crotch against Dean's. Castiel could feel Dean's erection against his own and he had to bite down on Dean's neck to suppress his moan.

"I don't want you to do anything that you don't want to." Dean whispered coarsely in to Cas' ear

He breathed back "I want this Dean, I want you."

At that, Dean pushed Castiel away, and stared thoughtfully in to the blue eyes before him.

"Maybe we should wait." Dean said with glimmering eyes.

Cas thought about it. At this point, they both knew what they were talking about. It would be his first time, and from what he'd heard, you were supposed to wait. But Hell, he had done his waiting. He had spent all of his teenage years, and even much after that alone. He, more recently, spent nights falling asleep emptied after stroking himself to the thought of the green-eyed man that his brother knew.

Dean Winchester if you leave me here," Castiel growled, "I might never forgive you."

Dean could hear the lust in Castiel's voice, and very little wanted to disappoint. He grabbed Cas at the neck and took his face to his own. Their lips smashed together, lustfully, bruising almost.

As their hips rolled together again Dean hardly stifled a moan, so he found it time to whisper, "If we're going to do anything, we should probably find a bedroom."

Cas chuckled. "Right."

Again, he led Dean through his apartment, taking him in to the small room where he slept.

Castiel hardly had time to comment, because as soon as they entered the room, Dean was on him. As they fell to the bed, Dean nibbled at Cas' neck, fingers sliding up and under the shirt Cas was wearing, which the thinner man promptly removed.

Dean pulled his own shirt off and kissed the now exposed torso of Castiel.

He turned to look up at Cas, lips still pressed to the skin. He watched as Cas' eyes rolled back in to his head in lust, and he smiled.

"Have you thought about how you want to do this?" he murmured with his tongue licking softly at Castiel's hipbones.

Cas' hips immediately shot up at the contact and a hearty moan escaped his lips. "Just fuck me Dean... Please." he begged.

Dean grinned and rose to press a kiss on to Castiel's lips.

He fell from Cas, who rose quickly in response. Dean searched for his long deserted jacket, from which he pulled a small tube of lube and a condom out of the pocket.

"What, I was feeling optimistic." He shrugged to Cas, who laughed.

Dean quickly removed his pants and slid back on to the slimmer man.

"You're cute like that, you know?" Dean teased.

Gulping, Castiel responded, "What do you mean?" His hair was frazzled, his lips were plumper and pinker than usual, and be eyes were so lust-blown that they were hardly even blue anymore, just dark and dirty.

"You look eager." Dean answered, "Like you can't wait to be filled, and fucked."

Cas groaned and through his head back as he squirmed underneath Dean.

"Oh, so I'm right?" Dean continued snarkily, covering his fingers with lube. "You are eager?"

Castiel moaned again, and Dean began tracing circles around Cas' hole.

Dean, now obviously teasing Cas, pressed a finger through the tense, heated wall. "I knew you'd be like this, always so quiet and shy, I knew you'd be so eager."

With that Dean pressed a second, and eventual third finger in with the first, now scissoring and thrusting in and out of Cas who writhed above him. Dean hit Cas' prostate, and he jutted up his hips. "Dean!" he called. "Now!"

Dean knew what Cas meant, and fluttered at the command. His own heat had been building, and he had been using all his self-control to not stroke himself.

They lined up their bodies, so that Dean could easily push himself inside of Cas' hole.

The two of them chanted a chorus of "fuckfuckfuckfuckshitfuckohfu ck"s before Castiel allowed Dean to move. The pair thrusted together, slowly at first, but gained speed as Cas became more relaxed and the process became easier. It was sweet affair, they both wanted it, but more than that, they wanted each other, so that's exactly what they got.

_Each other._

They came together, blissfully and serenely, and spent the night planting kisses on each other until they fell asleep.

"_Yeah, this is what I was waiting for." _Cas thought and he blinked in to unconsciousness.


	9. Chapter 9- Early to Being Late

**A/N: **Hey guys! Did you forget about me? Me too. Sorry the updates are so spread apart, I have a ton fo stuff going on. Make sure you're following me on Tumblr (dean-wants-the-assbutt) because I put some writing there. This chapter is pretty short, but that's just because this a weird plot point that had to happen because of reasons that doesnt fit in anywhere else. The next chapter is going to eb a lot of fun, though! (The story is set in Seattle, and I went there once and it's way cools so I decided to write about some of the fun stuff there.) Okay I love you guys you're great.

**Title: **Flow Sweetly, Hang Heavy

**Chapter Title: **Early to Being Late

**Rating: **M; This chapter- also M. (I completely forgot about the more adult parts in this chapter lol)

**Warnings: **Man Love

**Words: **1,441

**Early to Being Late**

Sheepishly, Cas turned over in his bed. Dean was resting beside him, his face adorned with a beautiful glow. Castiel traced his finger down the side of Dean's face lightly. His face was smooth, but scratchy in some places where a light stubble protruded from the skin. He had wrinkles along the side of his eyes, and a smile that was calm and serene. A low and happy hum escaped from Dean's throat as Cas traced the outline of his face.

"Mmm... Good morning gorgeous." Dean mumbled, eyes still closed and tired.

"Good morning." Cas whispered, planting a light kiss on Dean's lips.

"Do you want breakfast?" He asked.

Dean wrapped his arm around Castiel's waist and pulled him in, in one quick motion so that they were cuddling with Dean as the big spoon.

"Not yet." he hummed in response. "I have the best boyfriend ever, so I plan to stay in bed with him for as long as I can."

Cas wiggled happily at Dean's answer. He was his boyfriend. And he was the best one ever. Nothing in the whole world could make his heart glow more than that.

Dean stroked his hand up and down the length of Cas' thigh, sometimes spreading out his palm and pressing it slightly more firmly against the soft skin of Castiel's leg. He nuzzled his face against Cas' neck and breathed long, hot breaths against his skin.

Cas turned around in his spot to face Dean and pressed their lips together once, twice, three times before sliding his tongue into Dean's mouth, darting around friskily. He pushed at Dean's shoulder so that he fell on his back and quickly straddled his hips. Dean's hands flew to Castiel's hips as they pushed together. "Fuck, Cas." he moaned, relieved at the contact.

"Not now." Castiel joked as he kissed at Dean's neck and rolled their hips together. At first they were messy, needy, and maybe even a little tired, but soon a pace was set that they rocked in to each other with breathless moans and each other's names on their lips. They were both hot, hard, and slick with pre-cum as they thrusted in to each other, rolling against each other and giving all the right kinds of friction. Their lengths fit together perfectly, in an almost admiral manor. Cas felt heat building in his abdomen as pleasure heightened, and soon he was cumming hot sheets over his and Dean's abdomen's. In his whited-out bliss, he heard Dean cry, "Cas!" as more heat poured between them. He grabbed a towel he had still by his bed from the night before and cleaned them off. When he was through, he collapsed at Dean's side, who pulled him in to cuddle again. "Best boyfriend ever." Dean mumbled, causing Cas' heart to skip a beat

There, in that moment, that's what they had both been looking for. Commitment, care, and love. That's what they had in each other, and that's what they had needed.

Cas let himself enjoy the afterglow for some time before crawling out of bed to prepare breakfast. Dean moaned unhappily as Castiel left, but didn't put up a fight. He felt content lying next to Cas, but hungry too, and that wasn't going to fix itself.

After a little more than ten minutes, Dean found himself being drawn in to the kitchen by the rising smell of pancakes and eggs from the kitchen. He looked around the room until he spotted his boxers and undershirt from the night before and slid them on, chuckling to himself pridefully as he remembered how exactly they had gotten on the floor. When he found Cas in the kitchen, he was in a large white sweater that went down to his mid-thigh, and busy at a frying pan. Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel's waist and hummed in his ear a low murmur of 'Hello.' Cas responded by leaning backwards in to Dean and craning his neck to kiss Dean softly on the cheek. He was met by a tight squeeze around the abdomen before emptiness as Dean sat himself at the counter.

"I hope you like pancakes." said Cas as he turned and scraped eggs from the pan on to a plate that already housed a stack of pancakes. "These are for you." Cas said as he scraped just a tad bit more of eggs on his plate.

Dean took the plate from Cas, expression happy but hazy. His gaze never left Cas, who began nibbling on his pancake.

"Cas, you're perfect, you know." Dean said, smiling gracefully.

Castiel found himself at a loss of words, but his blush said all the thanks that he couldn't. ...

What could have been no more than three hours later, Dean was back at his home, and Castiel was left to call Gabriel, something that was well overdue. The phone rang thrice before Gabriel answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Gabriel."

"Hey there, Castiel. How've you been?"

"I'm well, thanks."

"How's Dean? Did that work out?"

"Yes, actually, um, Dean- Dean is my boyfriend now."

"Holy shit, Cassie. Never thought I'd see the day. Good for you, bro. Does he know you're a virgin?"

"Yes, I believe that he was well-aware."

There was a slight pause.

"What do you mean 'was'? Is he dead or something?"

"No, that's not the part that's past-tense."

"Oh my God. Cassie. My little virgin. Has been deflowered."

"That's an interesting way of putting it."

"We're getting coffee. I'll pick you up in forty minutes."

"Alright then."

The line went dead, because of course, there is no refuting Gabriel.

* * *

Sure enough, forty minutes later, Gabriel was knocking at Cas' door.

"Hiya, Cassie!" Gabriel greeted as he let himself in to the apartment. His amber eyes glistened as he smiled cheerfully at his younger sibling.

"Hi Gabe." Cas responded cautiously. He wasnt really sure what to expect from Gabriel today, not that he really did any other day.

They stood for a moment at the entrance to Castiel's home, until Gabriel saw a slight smile creep across Cas' face.

"Come on, kidddo. We have places to be." Gabriel said as he nudged Castiel out of door and towards his car.

* * *

"Cassie, loosen up a bit, you're not in trouble or anything. I just wanna talk."

Castiel was gripping so tightly on to his grande mocha, Gabriel was surprised the cup hadnt broken under the pressure. His younger brother's eyes were daring all around the small but crowded coffee house, something Gabriel would have put an end to sooner, had he not found it so humorous.

Cas' hunched up shoulders relaxed a little bit. "Alright then." he sighed.

"So was this like first date sex, or what?" Gabriel asked, seemingly completely innocent. Cas, on the other hand, nearly choked on his coffee and hunched his shoulders right back up. "Um... No." he answered awkwardly. "Well, technically it was our third evening together."

Gabriel grinned. "Alright little bro, waiting until the third date, very classy!"

Castiel offered a weak chuckle.

Gabriel sat, seemingly deep in thought for a moment before asking in a hushed voice, "What do you think about his job? I mean, there's no way he makes his whole living off that. He must hustle pool or something." he wore an expression of apology as he spoke, for he knew that he could easily be starting a conversation Cas didn't want to have.

Castiel shrugged as he responded, "I guess. That makes sense, I mean. I don't really think about it."

Gabriel nodded as he let the answer sink in. "So you're okay with it?" He asked thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I guess." Cas answered. He cared about Dean too much to fret about such things, and that was the truth.


	10. Chapter 10- The Emerald City

**A/N: **….oops. I got really excited about this chapter and accidentally stayed up all night to write it. Some of the information might be outdated (especially about the EMP, that's what it was like in December) If anyone is familiar with the area, and you see anything incorrect, let me know! I hope you guys like this asdfghjkl this chapter is just so much fun

**Title: **Flow Sweetly, Hang Heavy

**Chapter Title: **The Emerald City

**Rating: **Overall- M; This chapter- G (because kids)

**Words: **2,276

**The Emerald City**

Cas sat propped up against the wall sitting on his bed, phone in hand. Dean had called to make plans, which naturally with them, had turned in to a full-out conversation.

"So, where's your favorite place in town?" Dean asked from the other line.

Castiel sighed. "Oh, I don't know. I don't go much of anywhere. I don't leave the house that much, remember?"

"Well you go to Target."

"Heh, yes Target, but only because that's like home."

"I bet the Target at home didn't have two floors."

"It did not."

"It does here."

"I'm well-adjusted."

Dean paused to think about how to respond.

"What about the Space Needle?" Dean asked. At least there had to be that. Everyone's seen the Space Needle.

"No."

"The EMP Museum? The aquarium? The underground? The Pinball Museum? Come on, the market?" Dean questioned hurriedly. Cas had to have done something.

"No." was all Castiel answered with. He had always considered going to these places, but it never seemed right to go alone, and he always frowned when he thought of taking Gabriel with him. However, this sounded like it was some sort of crime in Dean's eyes. Cas understood that it was a wonderful city, but he never had much desire to go see it.

"How long have you lived here?"

"A few years now, I suppose."

Dean sighed audibly. "If we leave now, we can do pretty much all of those things today. You're lucky it's early."

Uneasily, Castiel answered, "Dean—I don't know if that's a great idea. I mean we haven't made any formal plans and I—"

"Cas." Dean's stern voice interrupted him. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course" Castiel whispered.

"Then let me do this with you. I promise leaving the house will be super great for your artist mojo. I can easily reschedule some things, and I just—I just really want to do this with you, Cas." Dean felt the weight of the sincerity of his words as he waited for his boyfriend's answer.

"I'll come with you, Dean. Can you pick me up in twenty minutes?"

"Of course." Dean whispered back, an echo of Castiel.

* * *

"We're walking." Dean said as soon as Cas opened the door. "It's a lot easier than having to keep on finding parking. "Are you ready to go now?" he asked, stepping in to the small apartment.

Castiel shifted in place. Physically, yes, he was ready to go. But mentally, he wasn't so sure. "Are you sure about this?" he asked softly.

"Very." Dean answered sympathetically. He had a friendly smile stretched across his visage, the same one that Castiel had become so accustomed to trusting.

Cas smiled and let Dean take his hand as he led him out of the apartment and down the road.

* * *

First on the agenda was a quick stroll through the Pike Place Market. Dean stopped to ogle the Doctor Who merchandise (something Cas swore never to speak about) and Castiel took extra time to admire the hand crafter jewelry. It was early, but it was also Saturday, so the wet cobblestoned road sectioned off for sellers was rather crowded, and Castiel was twice bumped in to, once by another man holding proudly on to the hand of his partner, who offered his best apologies, and once by a girl dressed in laced up combat boots, and all kinds of red, purples, and blacks. She turned out to be quite friendly, perhaps to Castiel's surprise, but much to his relief. The chatter of people in all kinds of accents and even in different languages mildly overwhelmed Castiel, but whenever he felt uneasy, he would look to Dean, who would smile and squeeze his hand just a bit tighter. It was an almost interesting sight, so many people, so many different kinds of people, all crammed in to one damp street, lined with foldable tables piled with handcrafted goods (Castiel of course definitely did not see Dean have a mini fan boy attack over a hand crafted Ocarina, just like the one in Legend of Zelda) They stood for a moment to watch fish being tossed at customers, but Dean hurried them along, as they had much else to do.

* * *

"We might have to skip the underground today, but I swear it's really great." Dean spoke as he pulled Castiel down the street by the hand. The next leg of their walk was awfully long, so he wanted to fill up the time by talking. "Basically, after a lot of flooding and fires and stuff, the city of Seattle basically gave up and decided to build all new roads over top the preexisting ones, which would be fifteen feet tall. However, there were businesses and things there. So basically, there's a whole section of the city whose first floor is underground, and some of it's been completely abandoned on they do cool tours now. Or at least I think that that's how that goes. It's been awhile since I've gone."

"That's very insightful of you, Dean." Castiel said, now being pulled up what he was sure must be the steepest part of one of Seattle's seven hills. This one, like all the other parts of the city, were lined the many interesting stores, including record shops, boutiques, and even a few art galleries. Walking around with Dean, Castiel remembered a lot of the reason that he had chosen this city to reside in. The culture emanated from every street corner, and every person walking along the sidewalks.

Dean smiled at the praise, and ducked his head to hide the blush that he was just sure was now covering his ears.

* * *

When they finally reached essentially the other side of the city, Dean stopped and turned to face Castiel. "Okay." He started, "The next two things I want to do with you are fairly close together. First, we're going to go to the Space Needle, we can grab a bite to eat at the top. Then, there's a few exhibits at the EMP you have to see. We can go see the otters at the aquarium another day, I promise."

"Sounds excellent." Castiel replied, now a million times more confident than he had ever felt in public. Dean was all-around giddy about showing Cas the town, and Cas was enjoying being dragged round, listening to his chatter, and seeing the sights through the drizzly fog that Seattle always had looming.

Upon arriving at the Space Needle, Castiel was needless to say, impressed. The surrounding landscape was marvelous, and despite being over-commercialized, the structure itself was something of amazement. Cast wandered around the small gift shop as Dean went and got their tickets. He held in his hand a small Space Needle figurine when Dean returned, and he would have likely not seen the bow-legged man approaching him had he not been flaunting the largest smile Castiel was sure he had ever seen.

"You're beautiful, Dean." Castiel muttered lowly, gripping on to Dean's jacket.

"Aw shucks, you don't mean that." Dean responded jokingly. Castiel pulled him down a little tighter, as if to show that yes, he really did mean that. He lifted himself up and pecked Dean on the lips lightly, a small gesture that in that moment meant the world to the both of them. Dean hummed against Castiel's mouth pleased, but did not allow the kiss to linger, because after all, they were on a bit of a schedule.

After waiting in a bit of a line up a spiral hallway, Dean and Cas were shoved in an elevator with about seven other people to be sent to the top of the tower. When they got to the top, it was as amazing as Castiel could have ever imagined. You could see everything from up there. Munching on overpriced sandwiches, they admired the view of the hills, the tall buildings, the lakes with ferries crossing them, Mount Rainier, and even the far more quaint outskirts of the city, where nearly everything seemed brightly colored. They even allowed themselves to share another kiss at the top of the tower; right after Dean took a picture on his cell phone of Cas with the view. After the circled the top all the way around, and took some time to read the timeline that was so largely painted on the wall of its interior, they descended back down to the bottom.

* * *

Much to Castiel's relief, the walk to the EMP museum was much shorter than the previous journey that they took. Dean knew exactly what he wanted to see first, so Castiel just eagerly followed along. First was an exhibit of famous sci-fi movie and TV props, followed by a display of important artifacts and information in the world of scary movies. Next, they had an exhibit of the leather jacket throughout history, which Dean had to see, for obvious reasons. Castiel pulled Dean through the "Jimi Hendrix Experience" the best that he could, because there was something that he really wanted to see. An entire exhibit on Nirvana and its impact on modern culture. Castiel, however not obviously, was a huge fan of the band's work, and was more than ecstatic to see what the museum had to offer. He was not at all let down. And entire history of the band, plus, samples of music, plus sweaters Kurt Cobain wore, and many other amazing things were all on display, which Cas would have easily enjoyed wandering amongst for hours, had Dean's watch not constantly been ticking away, He did, perhaps get a rather unfair share of time to spend there because by the time that they left the museum, it was a little after seven.

* * *

"One more place I want to take you, but this time, we're taking a cab." Dean whispered in to Castiel's ear as the exited the museum and stuck their stickers on an outside pole, as per tradition. They hauled to the street were Dean had minimal trouble hailing down a cab that the both of them eagerly poured in to. Dean gave the cabby an address that Cas did not recognize, but judging by the driver's response, it was somewhere that he must have been familiar with. Dean left his arm around Castiel's shoulders for the entire car trip, pulling him closely to his side. The trip in the taxi was fairly short, and they were soon stopped in front of a small building in the oriental district, which at first seemed to be nothing special to Castiel. Then, as he looked closer, he noticed a sign that read "PINBALL MUSEUM"

'_This is definitely something new.' _Cas thought to himself as he entered the building with Dean, which clearly a lot larger than it appeared to be on the outside. Lined against every wall, both up and downstairs, were pinball machines, of which with the purchase of a wristband, Cas learned that he could play unlimitedly for as long as he wanted.

The machines came from all different brands, each labeled with their age of creation. Every game was different, but equally exciting, and Castiel soon found himself lost in the wonder of it all. One machine was opened and being repaired on, all its parts and tinkers effectively on display as one of the employees worked on it with a screwdriver. Dean was always close behind him, either leaning over him as he played, or at the machine next to him. He half expected to have to warp his arms around Castiel's and show him how to play, but how found that his boyfriend picked it up easily on his own. They challenged each other at one point to a game that was soccer themed and had a bit of a confusing game play, and Castiel beat Dean by a rather overwhelming majority. Dean wouldn't admit that he was embarrassed, but he was actually rather expecting to win. Castiel's favorite machine was one on the second level, up a little carpeted flight of stairs. It was plain and simple, and from the seventies, but it was one of Castiel's favorite things. He played on the machine over 12 times before Dean decided that it was time to move him along.

"Are you about done?" Dean asked, after about nearly an hour and a half of pinball playing.

"Um, yes, I think." Cas answered, decided that the machines that he had not yet tried he would not be too broken up about missing. Dean took a second to look around the room as he held Cas around the waist. "Wait here just a moment, I'll be right back." Dean muttered against Castiel's neck. Cas complied, and sat on one of the green stools that rested in the middle of the room.

A little over ten minutes had passed before Dean returned back in through the main door with a small plastic bag in his hand. "I got you something." He said through a smile, as he extended his arm out to so that Castiel could accept the bag.

Cas carefully removed the contents from the bag, and smile brightly upon seeing what it was."Simon and Garfunkel…" he whispered as he ran his fingers lightly over the cover of the vinyl record he now held.

"Uh… yeah. Kind of a thank you for coming out with me, it just really means a lot." Dean explained nervously.

Castiel wrapped his arms around the back of Dean's neck and pulled him in for a strong kiss, which was sweet and loving."

"You don't have to thank me, Dean." He whispered against the other man's mouth. "Today was perfect, all of it."


	11. Chapter 11- Letters

**A/N: **okay this chapter is explicably late and short. Jk, it's short because it was going to be about something else but then I moved that to a later part but I set up for something like this so I had to and its late because I was upset that it was so short that I didn't want to publish it whatever just read shhh.

**Title: **Flow Sweetly, Hang Heavy

**Chapter Title: ** Letters

**Rating: **T cause language

**Words: **we're not going to talk about it shhhh.

**Letters**

Dean had a lot to do today.

Last night, he got a letter from Sam. Thanks to Sam's good behavior and the graciousness of the Seattle court system, Sam and Dean had been able to exchange many letters since Sam's imprisonment, but had not done such in nearly a few months now. Their letters were fairly short, but frequent, and filled with hope for Sam's new life once he is freed. Dean wanted to write more often, he really did, but he was so frequently encumbered with his daily efforts, he hardly had time to pick up the pen. Between time with Cas, work, more work, and Crowley riding Dean's ass left and right, Dean hardly had time to breathe. Today, he figured, it was about damn time that he picked up the pen and said /something/ to his younger brother, something at least. The only problem now was that, frankly, writing is hard.

He had half of a mind to call up Cas, him being a writer and all, but he knew that he would have to do this one on his own. Sam's letter read:

_"Dean,__  
__It's been, shit, I don't even remember, since we last spoke. I hope we're not drifting. I know that if we are, it's my fault, I'm the one who got thrown in here, but you're my brother and I don't want to lose, especially when I'm back on the other side. Write soon, I hope.__  
__-Sam__  
__P.s- you still working for that British dude? I wish you'd stop, he's a dick and the work is bad"_

The letter was short, practically just a note, but it felt heavy on Dean's shoulders. He had been taking care of Sam for as long as he could remember, and there was no way in Hell that he was losing him, even after he felt like so much shit for letting Sam get locked up in the first place. He sighed, pressed the pen to the page and paused, taking good time to think before scrawling out,

_"Sammy,__  
__Yeah, you're right, it's been awhile. Too long, if you ask me. But Sam, I'd hate to think that we're drifting. I swear I've just been busy as Hell lately, but I'll get to you more often. See you on the other side.__  
__-Dean__  
__P.s- yeah, and he is a dick."_

He sighed and scanned the page for what felt like an hour. He was disappointed that he felt it didn't grasp everything that he wanted to say, but it wad the best he could do, so it would have to settle, at least for now. He slid the letter in his coat pocket to drop off the letter at the post office when he got a chance. He felt strangely better knowing he had written, and celebrated with a nap.


End file.
